Zankai Mercer
Zankai Mercer (or 'Kai' as Eskara refers to him) is a highly-specialised marksman, and Operative of Amun-Seth. He is also a former member of the Dark Avengers, being the only human to be adopted into a Custodian group. Zankai had a military background, but ultimately could not commit to the stiff requirements of the lifestyle and settled into a life of freelance security work instead. He was born on the Caros fleet, though now lives in Devil's Crag and works closely with Cayden Masher. He also very close friends with Eskara Carrian, and one of the mysterious Spectres. Zankai owns two entirely unique items to Barvos. The first, a plasma pistol; a relatively common weapon anywhere but Barvos. He also the current owner of the Lazarus Device. Origins Zankai was born amongst the stars, aboard the Caros fleet. His father, Gabriel Mercer, was acting admiral of the fleet at the time, and so Zankai was exposed to military proceedure and combat training from an early childhood. Despite this, he struggled to fit in amongst his peers and craved a more 'carefree' lifestyle. Though his father did not approve, Zankai spent most of his life living amongst the less civil ships in the fleet, associate with gangs and busting petty criminals. He also developed a 'professional' relationship with Richard Zarak. He was generally unhappy with his life, craving some form of meaning or power to make a difference. At some point, he was given the Lazarus Device by is father. A family heirloom, Zankai did not care or percieve the importance of what he'd been given aside from its healing potential. Ascendancy When the Dark Avengers and Outlaws arrived on the fleet, they enlisted Zankai's help to track down Richard Zarak. Curious about the newcomers, and impressed by their powerful abilities, Zankai agreed to help. When chaos erupted, Zarak escaped and the Rainmaker took over the fleet, Zankai saw no option other than to side with the Custodis. Amongst the group, he found he suddenly had the freedom and open options to fight that he'd been craving most of his life, and so stuck with the group. He was also encouraged to explore the true extent of the Lazarus Device's power by Max Amaru, discovering the real nature of his abilities (which made him an even match for any Custodis). When the fleet was destroyed by Nemeroth, Zankai and the Dark Avengers/Outlaws crashed back onto Barvos. Suffering from the loss of his father and climatising to planetary life for the first time, he began suffering from severe depression. Rise of the Machine God: Extinction Zankai worked as a bartender in Aprillia for a brief time, spending a good deal of time with Helena. He eventually secured a job as one of Helena's personal guards, but found the Counvikel to be less tolerable than the military. Following Isaac's summon to Devil's Crag, Zankai was one of the group to eventually make his way there, and learnt of the plan to end the Eternity War. Zankai was one of the first to ally himself with Cayden following his return, admiring his strength and faith in the Dark Avengers/Outlaws. He was amongst the group to reach the House of Gold and Bones, and sucessfully destroy the Warp, surviving the Eternity War. Revenant Following the end of the Eternity War, Zankai was surprised to find the Lazarus Device still active. Using its abilities, he formed a pact with Cayden, Eskara and Wyatt Masher, thus creating the mysterious group known as the Spectres. He worked with the group and alone at times, operating internationally. His primary focus amongst the group involved tracking down the Syndicate, along with following up leads on Typhon. Category:People